10/23/2012
Green Careers Are the Focus As Weatherization Training Facility Opens Wednesday at Hudson Valley Community College

CONTACT: Eric Bryant (518) 629-8072, e.bryant@hvcc.edu

What: As fuel prices continue to rise, so do careers in the weatherization and energy efficiency industries. Local opportunities in that field will get a big boost with the opening of a dedicated “pressure house” training facility at Hudson Valley Community College.

Why: According to statistics from the Department of Labor, those interested in finding careers in weatherization and home energy efficiency will see a growing job market over the next decade. The Occupational Outlook Handbook noted that 15,000 new jobs will be created for insulation installers alone.

There also will be a growing market for home energy auditors. Incentives offered for several years by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s Green Jobs, Green New York program allow for no cost or low-cost home energy audits to New York State homeowners.

The lab will train workers for New York's Weatherization Assistance Program, which is administered by Homes and Community Renewal as well as students from Hudson Valley Community College’s Workforce Development Institute.

Where: The training lab is located on the grounds of the former Hy Rosenblum Administration Center at Hudson Valley Community College, at the corner of Morrison Avenue and Vandenburgh Avenue. The address is 68 Morrison Ave., Troy, NY.

Who: Congressman Paul Tonko, a longtime advocate for home energy efficiency, is expected to attend the event. Hudson Valley Community College President Drew Matonak, New York State Weatherization Directors Association Executive Director Andy Stone and New York State Homes and Community Renewal Assistant Commissioner Daniel Buyer will also be in attendance.

Details: From the outside, the building looks like a typical suburban home, but inside it’s uniquely constructed to serve as a state-of-the-art training facility for those in the building science field. Drafts and other air leakages can be simulated throughout the house through the use of dampers, which can be set up in an infinite number of combinations for students to identify. The house will be used for training and testing of those in the field.

Hudson Valley oversaw a five-year, statewide network of energy efficiency training sites that served more than 5,000 students between 2007 and 2011. The college continues to offer the training through its Workforce Development Institute.